Mohammed Sani Gaddafi - Ministry of Animal Health, Husbandry and Fisheries, Kebbi, Nigeria.
Yusuf Yakubu - Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Abdulkadir Usman Junaidu - Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Muhammad Bashir Bello - Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Asinamai Athliamai Bitrus - Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Aliyu Ibrahim Musawa - Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Bashiru Garba - Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Habiba Lawal - Ministry of Animal Health, Husbandry and Fisheries, Kebbi, Nigeria.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important healthcare-associated pathogen that is also an emerging zoonosis. Objectives: A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of MRSA in dairy cattle farms in Kebbi, North-Western Nigeria.Methods: A total of ۲۰۰ milk samples, consisting of ۵۰ samples each from lactating cows, were collected and used. The samples were analyzed using bacterial culture and isolation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Suspected MRSA isolates were identified via PCR detection of the mecA gene, and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates were assessed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.Results: Of the two hundred milk samples examined, the prevalence of MRSA was recorded at ۱۸% (۳۶/۲۰۰) using phenotypic and genotypic characterization methods. The susceptibility to vancomycin was observed in all isolates, and they had a multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of >۰.۴.Conclusion: This investigation showed the colonization of healthy dairy cows by multidrug-resistant MRSA.

Cow, Dairy, Kebbi, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus